“I’m gonna stay out here with Miss Cleo.”
“Fine. But no more cookies.”
“Just one more, okay?” Paxton calls out.
“Fine.”
When Elijah is out of sight, Paxton and I share a look and burst into a fit of laughter. “He is so grumpy!” I say. “Is he always like this?”
“Kind of. He doesn’t move around this much when he’s driving, though.” Paxton slides his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Again. I’ve seen him do this a number of times.
“Hey, can I see your eyeglasses for a minute?”
Nodding, he removes them and holds them out to me. “I’m gonna have another cookie now, okay?”
“Okay. I’m going to gently squeeze these little nose pads together for you. I think they’re a little too loose.”
While he’s biting off the head of yet another bespectacled gingerbread boy, I place the glasses on his face again. He nods and shakes his head, jumps up and down. The glasses don’t slide down his nose anymore. But he pushes them up anyway. I guess it’s just a habit. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. So do you hang out with your dad here at the office a lot?”
“Not really. I’m going to a mountain place with my mom and Barry tomorrow, so I’m spending the night with my dad. He won’t get to see me for more than a week.”
“Oh, I bet he’ll miss you a lot.” Elijah isn’t going to like any Christmas movie I select for him, but I know what’s really goingto put him in the right frame of mind. “You want to help me try to make your dad smile?”
He nods, and again, his glasses do not slide down his nose, but he pushes them up anyway. “He won’t eat another cookie, though, because of his apps.”
“His apps?”
“Yeah.” He pats his belly. “He says apps are made in the kitchen.”
Gosh darn it, that’s cute. “Abs. He’s saying abs are made in the kitchen. It means he wants his tummy to be nice and flat, so he doesn’t eat a lot of sugar. I have some other ideas…” I tell Paxton I’ll be right back, grab my garment bag, and head to the ladies’ room.
Seven minutes later, Paxton and I enter Elijah’s office. He appears to be mesmerized by a YouTube video of a snowy winter model mountain village and relaxing instrumental Christmas music. I honestly have never seen him look so at peace, I almost don’t want to do the awesome thing I’ve been planning to do ever since I woke up this morning.
“Hi, Dad!” Paxton yells. “We’re here to make you smile!”
Elijah is awoken from his reverie with a jolt, and he immediately frowns at the elf costume I’ve changed into and the duffel bag I’m carrying. “No.”
“Noooooo-ellllll, Noooooelllllll! Noel, Noel! Born is the kiiiiing of Israel!”I sing. “I just realized every time you’ve said no to me since last night, you were just saying the first half ofNo-el.”
“That is adorably incorrect. What do you think you’re doing?”
“We’re decorating your desk!” Paxton explains. “You’ll like it.”
“No. I don’t like having stuff and things on my desk. I have my computer, my phone, my stress balls. Nothing else.”
I pull a very small pre-lit tabletop Christmas tree out of the bag and place it on a corner of his desk. “Think of it as a Christmas movie that you don’t hate—for your desk!”
“I don’t want to.”
“Me and Miss Cleo are going to make up a holiday song for you,” Paxton tells him.
I start attaching a faux-pine garland to the front edge of his desk, and then I whip my trustee old kazoo out of my pocket and hum one note in the key of G, and then I riff on the first verse.
“We wish you liked Christmas movies
We’ll make you like Christmas movies
